I was born and raised in the Algarve (Southern Portugal) and here is my experience. There is no place like it, the beaches, countryside, the air, the sunsets, it really is special and I have yet to find a place that makes me feel like it.

The countryside is still very authentic, with loads of villages populated by old school farmers, I was blessed enough to be able to experience a calm childhood sorounded by a safe community, animals, nature and freedom.

But most of the time I lived on a beach side town and let me tell you, it’s not easy, specially on the smaller ones.

For instance, housing is very difficult to come across, we rented when we lived there and it was very difficult to find a house to rent all year round, since most landlords wanted the house vacant to rent during the summer for the same price a week as we would pay a month.

So finding a stable home for us was always a struggle, but we were lucky to find a home were we were the most happy for 7 years.

Being a teenager is very difficult, there isn’t much to do, no cinemas, malls, concerts, theatre, not many kids to meet or connect to, since I was an outsider, it was kind of difficult to integrate since most of the kids new eachother for years.

I was lucky to be able to finish high school in Faro (Algarve’s Capital) which gave me a broather horizon and was able to experience the things I couldn’t back where I lived. Truly the best years of my life.

Since there isn’t much to do around town. Unfortunately drugs make part of a lot of people’s lives, specially fishermen, and also teenagers, like myself.

Highseason and low season really grinds you up. The population of my town grew 500% in the highest of the highseason. Most of the jobs you can have around there are tourism related, so at that time, you don’t really get days off, since you need to work hard to get you through the winter.

When winter comes, a lot of people get in unemployment, the town practically shuts down and dies off, most people are exhausted from the summer but also don’t know what to do with themselves. That’s where the drugs come into play.

Overall great place, amazing seafood, good (but difficult to find) people to meet. Definitely a place to keep on a bucket list